Reason, intensity and tone – Japanese N5 grammar
Meaning, explanation and example sentences with translations.
から（理由） · because…, since…
a reason stated outright, before the result
The basic way of giving a reason. In Japanese the reason always comes first and the result after; English allows both orders. This から has nothing to do with the から in から〜まで — there it marks the start of a range, here it gives a cause.
sentence (plain form or ます／です) + から, then the result
Examples
- 寒いから、窓を閉めます。I will close the window, because it is cold.The reason comes first — in Japanese it always does, whichever way English would put it.
- 時間がありませんから、急ぎましょう。We have no time, so let’s hurry.から after the ます form sounds more polite than after the plain form.
あまり〜ない · not very, not particularly
a softened negative — not very, not particularly
Softens a negation: not “not at all”, but “not very”. The negation belongs to the pattern itself — あまり安いです is not a sentence. At higher levels あまり(に) also appears in the affirmative, in an entirely different sense (“so much so that…”); that is not an exception to this rule but a separate construction.
あまり + predicate in the negative
Examples
- この店はあまり安くないです。This shop is not very cheap.The negation is part of the pattern — あまり安いです on its own does not make a sentence.
- 日本語はあまり分かりません。I do not understand Japanese very well.Gentler than a bare 分かりません — it does not cut the conversation short.
ぜんぜん〜ない · not at all, not one bit
a categorical negative — not at all, not one bit
The stronger counterpart of あまり〜ない: it does not soften the negation, it seals it. In casual speech ぜんぜん is also heard with an affirmative, meaning “totally, no question”, but in the polite register stay with the negative form.
ぜんぜん + predicate in the negative
Examples
- お酒はぜんぜん飲みません。I do not drink alcohol at all.ぜんぜん closes the matter, あまり only softens it.
- 意味がぜんぜん分かりませんでした。I did not understand the meaning at all.A scale: あまり分かりません is “not very”, ぜんぜん分かりません is “not at all”.
ね · isn’t it?; right?
seeking the listener’s agreement with what is said
Assumes the listener thinks or feels the same, and invites them to confirm it. It is not a question — it asks not for information but for agreement. It also serves to make sure of something the speaker already knows.
sentence + ね at the very end
Examples
- 今日は暑いですね。It is hot today, isn’t it?The speaker assumes the listener feels the same — this is an invitation to agree, not a question.
- 会議は三時からですね。The meeting is at three, right?Here ね makes sure of information the speaker already has.
よ · you know; I’m telling you
adding information the listener did not have
The reverse of ね: it does not seek agreement, it hands the listener something they did not know yet. That makes it helpful (a warning, a tip), but toward someone of higher standing it can come across as lecturing — safer to leave out there.
sentence + よ at the very end
Examples
- この店は安いですよ。This shop is cheap, you know.よ adds information the listener did not have.
- 電車が来ましたよ。The train has arrived!A useful warning. Said to a superior, the same form can be taken as lecturing.
Where this comes from
Everything above comes from the free part of the Kaname app and has passed its content review.
- Kaname: Japanese GrammarJLPT practice: N5 N4 N3 N2 N1
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